East Feliciana Parish School Board

2024-25 District Charter School Application Process
for Schools Opening in the 2026-2027 School Year or Beyond

Forms and Information Needed for Submission of a Type 1 or Type 3 Charter School Proposal

In compliance with R.S. 17:3982, the East Feliciana Parish School Board is making public through our website, and in printed form upon request, the guidelines for submitting a charter proposal, all forms required for submission of a charter proposal, the timelines established for accepting and reviewing charter proposals, the process that will be used to review charter proposals submitted to the board, and the name and contact information for a primary point of contact for charter proposals.

I. Chartering Priorities of East Feliciana Public Schools

In East Feliciana Public Schools, we are committed to prioritizing and protecting the safety of our community, identifying and meeting the comprehensive needs of each student, embracing innovation in meeting those needs, and regularly and clearly communicating with all stakeholders.

 In accordance with these commitments, the 12 Essential Practices of charter authorizing identified by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and the purpose of Louisiana charter schools as outlined in Bulletin 126, Chapter 1, §105, we offer a transparent process for all persons with valid ideas and motivation to participate in the development of innovative schools. Our mission in charter authorization is to enhance East Feliciana Public Schools’ ability to fulfill our commitments to our community by authorizing charters to those persons who can demonstrate a plan grounded in both research and our community’s context to develop schools in which, in accordance with LA Rev Stat § 17:3972, the best interests of economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities are the overriding consideration.

II. Charter School Application

Applicants should complete the Common Charter School Application available via our website.

Applicants should complete the appropriate application based on whether or not they are a New Charter Operator, an Experienced Charter Operator or an applicant proposing to open a Virtual Charter School.

In order to ensure that the East Feliciana Parish School Board fulfills their responsibilities outlined in Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §306 and in accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §311, East Feliciana Public Schools requests the following additional needed information from applicants:

-A summary of the key demographic, process, perceptual, and student learning data beyond annual standardized assessment results that the school will monitor on an ongoing basis to account better and more thoroughly for educational results.

-A summary of how the applicant will ensure the best interests of economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities are the overriding consideration of their school.

-A description of how the applicant will prioritize and protect the safety of the East Feliciana Parish community while operating their school.

The answers to these questions shall be included in the application after the executive summary and shall total no more than three pages, double spaced, together.

III. Charter School Application Process Schedule

·       August 26, 2024: LDOE releases common application.

·       By September 9, 2024: The East Feliciana Parish School Board posts all required information at efschools.net/page/charter-application.

·       September 9, 2024: Deadline for districts to post all required information to their websites

·       September 23, 2024 at 2:00 PM: In accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §311, East Feliciana Public Schools shall provide an orientation session for interested applicants. All potential applicants are required to attend to receive a clear understanding of the application process, expectations for high-quality applications, evaluation criteria, and authorizer expectations upon approval. This orientation session shall be held virtually via the Microsoft Teams platform. Potential applicants should email jloveall@efschools.net by 5:00 PM on September 20, 2024 in order to receive an electronic invitation to this session. If you are unable to attend this orientation, please email jloveall@efschools.net to schedule an alternative orientation time and date. No applications shall be accepted prior to this session.

·       October 18, 2024: Last day to submit an application in order to receive a Completion Check prior to the October 25 due date.

·       October 25, 2024: Applications due

Applicants should email all application components, in order as a single PDF file, to jloveall@efschools.net. Within four business days of the submission of an application, the East Feliciana Parish School Board shall conduct a Completion Check of this application and provide the results of this check, by electronic means, to the applicant. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications prior to the October 25, 2023 due date so that they can receive this Completion Check with sufficient time to make any necessary additions to their application prior to the due date. Only applications passing this Completion Check will be accepted, and no applications will be accepted past October 25, 2024

·  By October 29, 2024: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall provide all applicants with a completed application a detailed timeline of the application review process.

·  January 17, 2025: Last day for the East Feliciana Parish School Board to make decisions to approve or deny any charter applications.

·       By January 31, 2025: The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall notify LDOE of board recommendations.

IV. Charter Application Review Process

All charter applications will be reviewed by an independent evaluator with educational, organizational, legal, and financial expertise.  The evaluator shall utilize the BESE-authorized Charter Application Evaluation Standards, incorporating an additional holistic standard of Alignment with the Chartering Priorities of East Feliciana Public Schools and prioritizing those individual standards explicitly aligned to these priorities in determining an overall recommendation. As described above, applicants will have the opportunity to provide to the evaluator a written response to the independent evaluation of their charter application before the evaluator provides a final recommendation to East Feliciana Parish School Board.

V. Charter School Contact Information

Individuals or organizations with questions about the district's charter application process should contact:

Jonathan Loveall, Coordinator

jloveall@efschools.net

Office: 225.683.8277  Cell: 225.719.6430

Posted September 9, 2024

PLEASE NOTE: The East Feliciana Parish School Board strives to offer a transparent charter application process in full compliance with Bulletin 126 and additional LDOE policy. The East Feliciana Parish School Board shall, via this webpage, make and communicate any changes to our charter application process that may be required in the event of updates to Bulletin 126 and LDOE policy.